Harry Potter and the Second War
by anamarie89
Summary: Harry is having major problems. No one is acting the way they are supposed to... not even Harry. First he feels useless, then after a mysterious night in the hospital wing, he feels lieks he can do anything... but can he?
1. Default Chapter

Wizards Unexpected  
  
Harry Potter's emerald eyes stared blankly at his clock, an old digital one of Dudley's that had been recently discarded. It was nearing one AM, and no one, none of the Order, none of the Weasleys, no one had come to help him get to King's Cross, no one had even mentioned it in their latest letter, despite Harry's persistent questioning. Harry barely noticed a tear trickling down his cheek. What if no one ever came? What if he had to miss his sixth year of school simply because he couldn't reach the train? What if he never got to see Ron or Hermione again? What if...  
  
The clock beeped loudly to signal it had officially reached one AM. Only ten more hours before the train left the station, and Harry was out of ideas.  
  
He couldn't send an owl, it wouldn't get there quick enough, and besides, they hadn't answered him in any of his previous letters.  
  
He couldn't summon the Knight Bus, because that required magic and it was still, technically the holidays.  
  
He couldn't ask his uncle to drive him down there, he'd already asked, and Vernon had replied with a succinct and nasty, "Never."  
  
He couldn't fly, because once again, magic.  
  
He couldn't call the Order on the telephone, because they didn't have one.  
  
There was no flying car or team of Order members with broomsticks.  
  
All he could do was wait patiently for a rescue to arrive, even if it never did.  
  
The clock clicked to 1:01. Suddenly it's bright red letters flickered, and turned off. Harry stood up, opened the window, and looked down his block. No, his was the only one without its electricity... odd.  
  
And then an owl ran into his head.  
  
Harry made a small noise of a suppressed scream and grabbed the owl in midair before it could fall. He closed the window and was aiming to stuff the owl in Hedwig's cage when it squawked. He hadn't noticed the tiny thing was carrying a letter. It was from Ron!  
  
Harry unwrapped it feverishly.  
  
Harry,  
  
We've got a major problem at headquarters, which is why we couldn't come earlier. I can't tell you more until later, but we'll be there. Be ready, we aren't coming through Floo powder or the window.   
  
Ron  
  
P.S. We've already got your supplies from Diagon Alley, don't worry about that.  
  
Harry sighed and went back to his bed. So they were coming, after all. But Ron's letter left more mysteries then it solved; when were they coming, how were they coming, and what was going on that made it so they couldn't leave 12 Grimmauld Place?  
  
And why did the electricity go out?  
  
Harry heard a faint ding-dong in the distance. It was the doorbell! Uncle Vernon was going to be furious that someone, probably the Weasleys, were coming to pick him up at this ungodly hour.  
  
But when half an hour passed (he estimated, his clock wasn't working), the doorbell still ringing consistently, and no explosions of Vernon and Petunia proportions had occurred, Harry started to wonder if maybe it was safe for him to answer the door...   
  
Harry grabbed his wand, trunk, broom, and Hedwig's cage and gently tiptoed out of his room and into the hallway. Forgivingly, the door made no squeaks and the trunk slid across the shag carpet smoothly. Harry wasn't so lucky with his bird, however, who squawked loudly upon being awoken. Harry stopped dead in his tracks. There was no way that that would have passed unnoticed by the rest of the household.  
  
Harry was incredulous when Uncle, Aunt or overly large Cousin didn't catch him out of bed. Something very, very strange was going on.  
  
Harry couldn't figure out how he was going to get his trunk down the stairs without making an incredible amount of noise. But he figured he'd been lucky so far, so he might as well risk it. After all, what the worst that could happen? Never mind, Harry didn't even want to think about it.  
  
The trunk made it down the first step with an echoing clunk that rattled the picture frames on the wall. Harry paused for a moment to check if his theory was correct. It was. The Dursleys hadn't heard a thing.  
  
Elated, Harry clunked his trunk the rest of the way down the stairs and opened the door, expecting the Weasleys and a couple members of the Order to be ringing the doorbell.  
  
Instead, what he saw in the doorway made him stop dead in his tracks and want to scream. 


	2. Thestrals Again

Chapter Two: Thestrals Again  
  
Two tall, skinny ghost-like things had been sent to take him to London.  
  
Without heads.  
  
One of the headless ghosts reached a hand out to Harry and said menacingly, "Here… let me help you with your trunk."  
  
Harry gaped. "What the… who…?"  
  
The headless ghost laughed and withdrew his hand from the doorway, groped around in the air where his head should have been, and pulled off his Headless Hat. "Haha, Harry gave you quite a scare there, didn't we?" George smiled as Fred pulled off his hat as well.  
  
Harry laughed shakily. "I guess. You guys shouldn't do that to a guy who hasn't gotten any sleep."  
  
George laughed. "Ok, we'll keep that in mind. Just thought we'd lighten your mood a bit. After all, you aren't going to like what we've got for you to get to King's Cross."  
  
Fred pointed behind him at the Dursley's lawn. "Aren't they lovely?"  
  
Harry sighed. "Thestrals." He stared at the emancipated horse-like creatures that were the living reminder of the deaths he'd seen. Not only Cedric, but Sirius as well.  
  
"Right in one! Now really, let me help you with your trunk."  
  
Harry surrendered his trunk without a second thought. Well, actually, he did have a second thought. "You guys can see them too?"  
  
Fred nodded. "We rather thought you'd ask that."  
  
George sighed as he bewitched Harry's trunk to be feather-light and tied it to one of the three thestrals. "We saw a murder outside our shop in Diagon Alley last month."  
  
Fred shrugged. "It wasn't anyone we really cared about, but I guess it was enough for these beasts."  
  
Harry looked shocked as he boarded his animal. "Someone was murdered? In Diagon Alley?"  
  
George nodded. "Yeah, it's pretty bad. Never happened before, and we hope it doesn't happen again."  
  
Fred shook his head sadly. "So bad for business."   
  
George continued, "We think it was a Death Eater that killed the bloke, the Order just doesn't know who."  
  
Harry had so many more questions to ask, but the thestrals took off. Why didn't the Dursleys hear me leave? Why are we using thestrals, and how'd Fred and George get them?   
  
And the one that was pressing most urgently in Harry's head, who was it that was killed?  
  
Hours later, Harry and the twins climbed off the thestrals, their arses sore to the bone. Harry looked around. He was on the roof of a building, looking around at the Muggles walking below. "Where are we?"  
  
"Just outside of King's Cross. We couldn't land these things on the ground, they'd generate way too much attention." George explained. "We've kept a couple thestrals tethered here ever since they were banned from Hogwarts."  
  
"Hagrid was bawling like a baby when he found out about it." Fred added.  
  
"Banned? That's ridiculous! What'll pull the carriages?"  
  
Fred and George shrugged. "Dunno."  
  
Harry was about to ask who'd been killed, but Fred interrupted him.   
  
"Come on Harry, we've got to hurry. Train leaves in fifteen minutes."  
  
The twins ushered Harry down a couple flights of stairs, being careful to lock each door that they came across. "Don't want any Muggles reaching our secret thestral-hiding place, now would we? I mean, they probably wouldn't be able to see them, but just want to be safe."  
  
Harry thought about last years fireworks rampaging the school and the untested Snackboxes, neither of which were very "safe". But he said nothing, preferring instead to laugh inwardly at George's selective memory.  
  
Harry reached the entrance to the Platform just in time, waved goodbye to the Weasley twins, and stepped through the brick wall.  
  
Harry immediately spotted his two best friends, Ron and Hermione, and they waved him over. "Harry! C'mere, I've got to show you something!" Ron yelled across the platform.  
  
Harry boarded the train with his friends and they sat down in the first open compartment. "What've you got to show me, Ron?"  
  
"Look, I've collected all the newspaper and magazine clippings that mention you over the summer. I've got about fifty from the Daily Prophet, fifteen from Witch Weekly, about four from The Quibbler, seven from Wizard's Digest, eleven from Modern Magic, Harry, you're a celebrity!"  
  
"You mean like I was since I was born?"  
  
Ron looked up from his folder of papers. "Well, yeah, but, this is different. Some of these mention me and Hermione and Neville and Luna too. Actually, only the Quibbler ones and three of the Daily Prophet one mention Luna, but about a quarter of them mention Hermione and me."  
  
Suddenly Hermione spoke up. "Ron, shut up, your head is already big enough without you reading your half of the press clippings every other hour. Most of them have barely half a paragraph about us anyway. You're pathetic." She turned back to the new textbook she was reading.  
  
Ron dropped his folder into his bookbag, looking not a little bit miffed. "God, Hermione, just because over the summer you…"  
  
She gave him a look of venom that stopped the next words from forming in Ron's mouth.  
  
Harry noticed the tension in the small space and switched the subject to the first thing that came to his mind. "So, Fred and George tell me someone was murdered? I was just wondering who, if it was anyone important, you know."  
  
Hermione and Ron looked at each other and then back at Harry. "I'd say it was sort of important, wouldn't you, Ron?"  
  
Harry noticed the strain in her voice.  
  
Ron answered in a similar stilted fashion. "No, I don't think so, not very important. Not very important at all."  
  
They both plastered a smile on their face, but wouldn't say anything more. 


	3. Stranger Things Have Happened

Chapter Three: Stranger Things Have Happened  
  
Harry stared incredulous at both of them. "Oh, be just a little more vague, would you? It's pretty obvious that this has something to do with me!"  
  
Hermione winced. "Sort of. You missed a lot over the summer, you know."  
  
"Yeah, like when Hermione…"  
  
"Shut it, Ron!" Hermione interrupted. "I mean, you missed a lot of what went on in the wizarding world."  
  
Harry shook his head fervently. "That's impossible! I've been getting the Daily Prophet…"  
  
Just then the sweety trolley stopping by caused a bit of a diversion. "Anything off the trolley, dears?"  
  
The trio handed over a couple pieces of silver and grabbed some sweets. Ron took a big bite out of his Pumpkin Pasty before answering Harry. "Harry, you should know by now the Daily Prophet doesn't print everything. I mean, I bet you read about the murder but you never actually knew the details!"  
  
"WELL, why don't you TELL me the details then? I'd really like to know and I wish you'd stop avoiding the subject!"  
  
Hermione looked stricken. "We didn't want to tell you because the Order hasn't even figured it out yet. We don't want to give you half-truths or all lies."  
  
Harry sighed, exasperated. "Just tell me what you know, ok?"  
  
Hermione shook her head. "Later. We'll tell you later."  
  
Just then Neville and Ginny slid open the door to the compartment and invited themselves in. "Hey Hermione!" Ginny grinned. "Can I see your O.W.L. paper? I expect you got all O's, but I'm just curious."  
  
Hermione blushed. "Actually, I did, thanks."  
  
Ginny nodded and turned to Harry. "And you?"  
  
Harry hadn't even given it a second thought. He brought the unopened envelope out of his pocket, where he'd put it for safe-keeping, and gave it to Ginny. "Here, you open it. I'm too scared."  
  
Ginny laughed. "Harry Potter, scared? Like I believe that." She grabbed the envelope out of Harry's hands, ripped it open, and began reading it aloud. "Charms, Outstanding. Transfiguration, Exceeds Expectations. Defense Against the Dark Arts, Outstanding, of course." Ginny paused. "That's really, really good so far, Harry!" She continued. "Potions, Dreadful. Divination, Dreadful. Astronomy, Poor, Harry! How could you get a P in Astronomy?"  
  
Harry glared at her. "I don't know, maybe it was the fact that I could barely get any work done because McGonagall was being stunned to death right outside the window?"  
  
Ginny raised her eyebrows and continued the list. "Care of Magical Creatures, Outstanding, Herbology, Exceeds Expectations, and History of Magic, Poor."  
  
Hermione shrugged. "Five O.W.L.s, that's not bad, Harry."  
  
"It isn't good either. I got the same as Fred and George…"  
  
"And look what brilliant wizards they are. O.W.L.s don't matter, Harry."  
  
"Easy to say if you've got all Os."  
  
Suddenly Neville piped up. "I got an O in Potions."  
  
The rest of the people in the compartment looked at him. "What?!" Harry cried, incredulous. "How'd you get an O in Potions?"  
  
"Stranger things have happened." Ginny replied.  
  
Neville shrugged. "I don't know, I mean, without Snape there, it wasn't so hard, I guess."  
  
Ron stared at him. "You do realize this means another two years with Snape as your teacher, right?"  
  
Neville paled. "I--I never thought of it that way…" Ginny wrapped her arm protectively around Neville's shoulders and gave him a half hug. "It'll be ok, don't worry."   
  
Suddenly the train ground to a halt.   
  
"Wha…? We can't be there yet, it's barely even dark…"  
  
"No, look out the window, we aren't anywhere close to Hogwarts..."  
  
"Why'd we stop?"  
  
"This is just like in third year..."  
  
"I hope there aren't dementors again."  
  
"I wonder what's going on?"  
  
"No, I think something's wrong with the train…" Neville shivered.  
  
"There can't be something wrong with the train, it's powered by magic!" Hermione cried, exasperated. "One of these days I'm going to force you all to read Hogwarts, a History, you know that, right?"  
  
And then the lights went out.   
  
"Hey, look, I can't see my hand in front of my face!" Ron waved his hand around, smacking Neville in the process.  
  
"Ouch." Neville said quietly.  
  
This all seems so familiar… thought Harry. Then he remembered. It felt exactly like when the electricity had gone out in the Dursley's house last night.  
  
Suddenly Hermione cried out. "I know what this is!"  
  
"What?!" Ron and Harry asked simultaneously.   
  
"It's a time stop! Time stops are the only thing that can make both electricity and magic malfunction."  
  
Ginny looked confused. "Time stop? Like, we're stopped in time?"  
  
Hermione nodded. "Exactly. It might feel like time is passing to us, but it will still be the exact same second of the exact same minute of the exact same hour of the exact same day when the Time Stop is over."  
  
Ron raised his head and looked in the general direction of Hermione's voice. "And when will that be?"  
  
"It depends on whatever who cast the spell decided on. Which means, we don't know. We could be stuck here for days, weeks, years. It'd take a really, really powerful wizard to do anything beyond a month though."  
  
Neville gasped. "Won't we die?"  
  
Hermione laughed. "Not even. The time stop keeps everything physical exactly like it was, such as how awake we are, how hungry we are, how old we are, how thirsty we are, everything. The only thing that isn't affected by the time stop is our mind, basically. And of course, we can move around and do stuff."  
  
Harry voiced his next thought slowly. "Why would anyone cast a time stop spell?"  
  
"To get more time for something, I suppose. Like, if you hadn't done an essay and you were an amazing enough wizard to do this spell, you could do it in one second. That's why Time Stop spells have been illegal in Britain since 1874."  
  
"So is the whole train time stopped?" Ginny queried.  
  
"Probably. When you cast the spell you have to concentrate it on a certain area. You can make your own boundaries, like two feet on every side of you, but it's a lot easier if you use something that has pre-defined boundaries. Like this train."  
  
"Or a house." Harry added. "I think Fred and George time-stopped my house to get me out. Because Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia didn't wake up when I left, because they were asleep when the time stop started, and since nothing physical can change during a time stop, that's the only explanation that makes sense."  
  
Hermione laughed. "Those two are really the limit, honestly. Time stops are Iillegal/I. But I doubt they'll get in trouble, Time Stops are really difficult to track. You have to have special equipment and you have to be looking for it, and the equipment has to be detecting in the right area. They have detectors in Diagon Alley, King's Cross, Hogwarts, St. Mungo's, and a bunch of other parts of Britain where wizards are common."  
  
"Bloody hell, Hermione! How do you remember all that? You practically quoted the book back to us!" Ron cried.  
  
Hermione blushed. "In third year I was obsessed with time… I scoured the library a billion times for the effects of magic on time."  
  
"Ah." Ron coughed. "So, anyway, since we're going to be stuck here for awhile, anyone know any good jokes?"  
  
Neville giggled. "I know a pretty good one, actually. See, there was this mollusk, and he walked over… well, mollusks don't walk, the mollusk just stood there really, but the sea cucumber walked over, well actually sea cucumbers don't walk much either, they sort of glide, so anyway the sea cucumber said, I mean sea cucumbers don't talk, but in a joke everyone talks…"  
  
Thankfully the lights turned back on and the train started moving again. But Harry couldn't help but wonder what, or who rather, had caused the time stop in the first place.  
  
And who was it that was killed?  
  
And why couldn't anyone from the Order come sooner to pick him up?   
  
And what had happened to Hermione over the summer that Ron seemed to think was hilarious?  
  
To Harry, it seemed that every time one mystery was solved, two more took it's place. 


End file.
